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Right Start Math: Our Choice for Homeschool Math

At least, that’s what my husband used to tell his first grade class. So I started telling my fourth grade class the same thing. The only problem was that by the time they reached fourth grade, for so many children, math just didn’t make sense. They had been taught to memorize the how of math without the why of it.

So, when I set out to find a math program for our homeschool, I went through several flops. I am a curriculum junkie. I love curriculum. I like to see it, flip through the pages, try it out, and I really like it when I find an exceptional program. Let me tell you, there are definitely some great math curriculums out there. However, a lot of them focus on memorizing the how without understanding the why. Also, a lot of the curriculum included pages and pages of practice work. For my reluctant writer, that was just short of torture. We went through two and a half long years of homeschooling while trying different math programs. They were all a flop for us, and I watched my little guy begin to struggle. Then I saw his confidence in math deteriorate.

Then, one day on an internet search, I came across a math program I had never heard called Right Start Math. I looked at it, and I was skeptical. It looked kind of simple, but I’m not one to judge by the cover of a curriculum, so I started exploring, and I liked what I saw. I felt that it would be a great fit for my Attention Deficit Disorder/Reluctant Writer 8 year old boy.

Right Start Math is a great choice for children with ADD/ADHD, reluctant writers, and kinesthetic learners.

I was right! I started I-Man at Level C. The book began with “Transition Lessons”. It was hard to take the time to do those lessons since they seemed to be review, but I realized that those days of transition were totally worth it. I began to see math make sense to him for the first time ever! It was amazing! I was so thrilled. We finished out the year with Right Start Math and my now 9-year-old does difficult math in his head! He understands the why of math. And that’s so exciting to me, but more importantly, it’s exciting to him. He is feeling success in math, and I think he likes it! My child who used to cringe at the thought of math time, now looks forward to math just as much as his other subjects.

I also started my girls with Level A, and I couldn’t be happier with the start that they are getting in Math. My girls can already do patterning, tally marks, and simple addition and subtraction. They love math time.

Right Start Math comes with everything you need to teach a hands-on approach to math. Math makes sense!

So here are a few reasons why I am a Right Start Math Mom:

1. Simple Lessons: The lessons are super simple and completely scripted (if you need it), so it is truly an open-and-teach type curriculum. There is very little to no preparation needed on mom’s part. That’s a plus for a mom of four!

2. Short Lessons: The lessons last no more than 15 minutes, so they don’t drag out. It’s perfect for kiddos with ADD/ADHD or just active boys and girls.

3. Hands-On: Every lesson has the student working with something to show the concept. And it all comes with the program, so you don’t have to worry about saving popsicle sticks and finding counting tiles. It’s all there and ready for each lesson.

4. Short Practice Pages: For my little guy, writing the answer to countless math problems was just too much. He dreaded me handing him a page of math. The RSM workpages are simple, and they don’t have too many problems. It’s enough to assess learning, but not so much that it’s overwhelming.

5. It’s fun. Almost every lesson has a card game that corresponds with the concept being taught. My kiddo looks so forward to the end of the lesson because he knows there is most likely a card game. He has learned so much from those card games too! Each card game is crafted to teach. The difficulty level increases as skills improve. Even Level A has card games that my girls love too.

RSM is just a well-done, complete math program. They do some things differently, so the transition lessons are really important, but it is well worth going through the transition lessons. My kids love it, and I’m looking forward to several more years with Right Start Math. I have seen the results and I am impressed. If you are interested in RSM, you can check it using the links below.